Dragon Disciple
The golden-scaled Kobold looked to the darkening sky of dusk for any sign that her prayers had been heard. Only a day had passed since she and her companions had returned to the City of Grey, hearts heavy from being duped by the Horsemen of Apocalypse into giving up the key to unleashing Ashkorrsa upon Erthoria. Had they known it was their mysterious benefactor and guide Ryfar the half-red dragon Phoenix, they could have warned her. Saassraa Wyrmbreath could still see the look on Ryfars face when she appeared in the Tomb of Ashkorssa to save them, only to be bound by the Horsemen with the energy of the titanic mana crystal that powered the defenses of the ancient tomb. It was only with Ryfars last bit of magic, as it was drained from her by the crystal, that she was able to save Saassraa and the Gauntlet adventurers, sending them back to Grey. Three months of siege warfare had taken its toll on the city of Grey. Once a booming metropolis it had been reduced to rubble by the Demon army that had come from across the planes to start the end of everything. Only a few buildings including the keep of Grey remained, and very few of its inhabitants had stayed when the army first approached. Now there were even fewer citizens left, with only a few hundred survivors who had holed up in the Keep as the demonic forces finally swept over the magically defended city two weeks earlier. As suddenly as the walls were breached the army left the city, presumably back to the abyss with its general Grazz’zt to await Ashkorrsa’s awakening. Saassraa hoped that all was not lost, that Ryfar still lived and that Ashkorrsa would not be awakened, but she knew such dreams were foolish. She could only trust in the will of the great dragon god Apsu that her path would be revealed and she would be worthy to defend this world from the approaching apocalypse. As Saassraa contemplated all this, some movement in the sky caught her attention. Within a few minutes she could make out the appearance of a young brass coloured dragon, about the size of a human with wings double its body length fly across the sky. Looking about her, there was no one else was in sight to confirm what she was seeing. The creature flew low, perhaps only a hundred or so feet from the ground, as it circled about a voice in draconic whispered in Saassraa’s ear; “Follow me”. With that, the creature headed out to sea, over the bay of mermaids. The kobold lost no time in grabbing her gear and heading to what remained of the city’s docks. There were few boats left in the harbor, most had either ferried a large portion of the citizenship out before, or had been destroyed during the siege. Finally, Saassraa was able to locate a small sailing boat that hadn’t been too damaged; with no one about to contend with she cut the ropes loose and climbed aboard. As the boat drifted out into the harbor, Saassraa realized she had no idea how to control the boat and with the coming night there was a very real danger of becoming lost. Again, she heard a voice whisper in Draconic and it guided her out of the bay as strange dancing lights lit the way. For days she sailed out in open water, where she sensed that some divine power was at work as the boat seemed to maneuver its self. Saassraa was also certain that the boat travelled much faster and further than it should, even if fully manned. Day and night she heard the whisper of the dragon guiding her, its form always only a hundred or so feet above and beyond her flying towards the unknown. On the second night at sea she began to feel uneasy, as if there were someone else on board watching her from the shadows. Several times she felt something pull at her mind but she resisted whatever effect was attempting to overcome her. Often at night she would see something flit just out of sight on the boat, a shadow clinging to the mast or drifting across the sail. Each evening was filled with a sense of foreboding that would leave her shaken and unable to sleep. More than that, her nights held strange phenomena such as poisonous frogs raining onto the boat, her awaking unable to breathe or cry out and terrible loud noises keeping her from sleep for five days. With every disturbance Saassraas wits were tested and each time she was able to hold herself against the unknown assailant. For truly she was sure that some dark agency was at work, her own sorcerous ability gave insight to these hidden forces and she began to suspect these events were mere illusions conjured and evoked by a shadow spellcaster. Finally in the middle of the fifth night, her tormenter made its full presence known. Having dozed off she suddenly awoke to the urgent whispers of her dragon guide, alerting her to danger. Looking about in panic she could just make out a shadowy bat-winged demon, its teeth and claws the only parts with any sense of physicality to them—the rest was lost in darkness. A voice bore into her mind and spat “you cannot resist me forever little dragon”, and she was thrown violently across the boat slamming into the mast. Slightly dazed the Kobold Sorceress looked up and saw the Demon vanish in the dark. Wracking her mind she recalled only one type of demon like this, a shadow demon; born from the tainted souls of the envious and forming into pure jealous malevolence. Lacking a physical form these creatures of the Abyss were always seeking a body to possess. She also knew that her primarily fire based spells would not have as strong effect on the creature as others. Saassraa stood up to formulate a plan but out of the darkness claws and teeth bit and slashed at her, tearing through robe and skin. Tooth, claw and an otherworldly chill wounded her deeply as she focused her mind and cast her most powerful spell. Pointing at where the demon hovered, directly in front of her, she incanted in draconic and motioned with her hands; The creature sensing an opportunity attacked with a single claw to the kobolds face. Though Saassraa was not trained in casting spells on the defensive, she nevertheless managed to hold her concentration from the distracting wound and BOOM! An explosion of fire detonated, and blasting the barely corporeal outsider. Flames licked the shadows and it howled in pain, the creature seemed surprised that the spell had even affected it. A lightning bolt shot out of the demons fingertips at Saassraa. She spotted the spell for what it was, a shadow evocation, and easily disbelieved the illusion. Despite this, a small amount of its power was still harmful and she dodged out of the way taking only a small shock. Facing the demon again she ducked quickly backwards out of its reach as she once again flung a ball of fire at her foe. As before the explosion blasted the creature who in turn seemed angered the kobolds spells were powerful enough to have such an effect on it. Saassraa, like most of her kind, was not known for her ability to weather a fight toe-to-toe. She was more used to hiding near the rear of a group and casting spells as needed. Here, she was at a disadvantage and knew that, despite her luck so far, another hit or two was likely to kill her. The demon faded into the shadows and try as she could, Saassraas extraordinary ability to see in the dark could not locate it. A prickling sensation alerted her to an attack from her left as the creature surprised her with a flurry of claw and teeth. Her skin was hard from her dragon-like scales, a magical ring of protection and bracers her only amour, these, coupled with her size and quickness allowed her to avoid the two claws. However, the demons bite broke through her defenses, tearing scaled skin and again inflicting a cold, otherworldly wound upon her. The demon laughed, for it knew as well as Saassraa, that her luck had run out. Then, Saassraa smiled grimly. Her previous fireballs had caused the boat to ignite and now a good sized fire raged behind the demon. She was doomed, but she intended on taking the creature down with her. Darting backwards as before, Saassraa focused all her power on yet another fireball spell. In her mind’s eye she caught a glimpse of a gold dragon; it seemed to try and tell her something, though what she could not make out, but there was a feeling of safety. Opening her eyes as she completed the draconic incantation and arcane hand gestures, Saassraa roared and flung another fire ball at her abyssal foe. Despite its magical defenses and lack of corporeal form, the flames tore into it and obliterated the demon. The sorceress collapsed to the floor of the boat, she had won but now her vessel was burning up. Thick black smoke choked the air and Saassraa crawled to the side of the boat, and rolled into the water. It did not take long for the boat to be completely engulfed in flames and then sink beneath the waves. Struggling to stay afloat, she grabbed onto a piece of driftwood just big enough for her to lie on. Then, using her small vestigial wings as sails, she positioned them to catch the wind and followed the almost out of sight brass dragon. Saassraa was unsure of how long she was afloat, exhaustion had set in and she slipped in and out of consciousness. At some point she became aware of being knocked of the driftwood by waves and tumbling about in the ocean. Then she was lying on a beach with the sun bearing down on her. When she finally regained her senses she found herself in a small hut. Carefully looking around as she tried to get up, she figured it was the home of a fisherman by the equipment strewn about. Still weak, she struggled to get up and grunted with effort before falling back on the bed. The door to the hut opened and a dark figure was silhouetted against the evening sky and a small campfire. “Careful friend, you need your rest” spoke the figure, he spoke in the common tongue but with a usual accent she could not place. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the shift in light and she could see the man, an elderly fisherman approached her bedside. “Here” he spoke, “drink this” and he handed her a small flask. Sniffing it she recognized the familiar smell of a healing potion and drank it greedily. Instantly she could feel her wounds heal over and her body recover from the demons attacks. Only faint scars betrayed she had been harmed at all. Feeling better she sat up and words tumbled out of her; “thank you, who are you? Where am I? Why are you helping me?”. The man held his hands up and in defense and she stopped talking. Smiling he spoke “I am glad you are feeling better, I had worried. As for your questions, you are on the shores of Tiel-Lund and I helped you because people with our abilities...” he paused and motioned with his hand to a plate of meat and cheese on the other side of the hut. It levitated and slowly flew to him, offering Saassraa the plate he continued; “...are not welcome in these lands.” “But who are you?” Saassraa spoke, as she hungrily ate from the plate of smoked meats and cheeses. The man frowned slightly and then replied “for your safety it is perhaps best if you don't know who I am. I understand it is difficult to trust the word of a stranger, but I am a friend Saassraa Wyrmbreath.” She started at his use of her name “how do you know me? You say to trust you but refuse to give me your identity”, “I'm sorry Saassraa, I cannot answer that you must trust me” spoke the elderly fisherman, who then waved his hands over her and muttered an incantation “Sleep now” he spoke “In the morning you will be well enough to continue your quest.” Panic gripped Saassraa as she recognized the sleeping spell but it was too strong for her will and she fell asleep. The kobold sorceress awoke with a start, daylight streamed into the hut and frantically she looked about for any danger. Saassraa could find no one about; instead she came across some rations and other travel provisions that appeared to have been left deliberately for her. Next to these she found all her belongings, most of which she thought had been lost at sea. A whisper in her ears alerted her to the brass dragon flying low overhead and looking about one last time she left the site and followed the small dragon. Once she was out of view the old man appeared as if from nowhere, next to him an aged female elf also became visible. “Do you think she suspected anything Tath?” spoke the woman. Staring of into the distance the man shook himself and a magical shimmer flowed around him, revealing him to be an ancient elf. “No Maeth, I don’t believe she knew” he said, “I think however it was no coincidence she arrived at our shores at the time of our quest.” Half admonishing him as she dispelled the illusion of the fisherman’s hut and campsite Maeth said, “You should have told her Tath, she looks up to you. I’m sure a friendly face would have reassured her.” Tath motioned as he spoke and conjured two saddled camels, “Mmm perhaps you are right, but the less she knows the better…for now.” As they climbed onto the animals, he continued “I believe that brass dragon we saw may be leading her to Apsu’s temple, soon her role in this will be certain, until then we continue with the plan.” With that the two commanded their rides to go and headed into the awaiting desert. Minutes became hours, and hours became days as Saassraa trudged through the barren desert wastes of Tiel-Lund. The heat was uncomfortable but her draconic inherited resistance to heat kept it from overwhelming her. Her races ill effects of bright sunlight she had long ago countered with a pair of magic shaded glasses, however even now the sun forced to squint and cover her head. Above and ahead of her flew the ever present brass dragon, leading her onwards into the unknown. Somewhere out there she knew was knowledge she had sought for, ever since she met Lord Nardhon Tatherphen, the power to become what she so fervently desired - A dragon. On the fourth day Saassraa saw the brass dragon circling on the horizon, the faint outline of buildings could be seen. As she approached, a rough road slowly became visible beneath the sand and appeared to have been disused for a significant amount of time. As dusk set in, the Kobold found herself at the entrance of an ancient and ruined city. Judging by the size of the buildings, whoever or whatever lived here were much larger than humans, the architecture unlike anything she had seen before. A slight movement behind a broken pillar alerted her to the presence of a being hiding in the shadows, calling out; she readied herself for danger but was unprepared for what she was presented with. Stepping into the waning light, the Kobold sorceress beheld a creature with the body of a lion, the wings of a falcon, and the head and torso of a beautiful human woman. She immediately identified the creature as a type of Sphinx. They were relatively rare outside of Tiel-Lund, however she did recall they had a love of riddles, strange facts and arcane trivia far more than gold or gems. “Stay your hand, Daughter of Apsu”, the being spoke “No harm shall come to you, so long as you do not enter the city against my will.” Saassraa slowly lowered her hands, her thoughts whirling about and wondered what was to come next. “My name is Ramilla, I am the guardian of this ancient city and its secrets; who are you to seek its entry?” Saassraa carefully weighed her reply and briefly described the recent events that led her to the ruined city. She told Ramilla how and why she had followed the human sized brass dragon all this way and that it appeared to want to her enter the city now. “Hmmm” mused the Sphinx as the sun sunk down beyond the horizon and the moon and stars provided the only illumination. “Your tale intrigues me Saassraa, and I would hear more of it. Indulge me in this and I may allow you entry into my domain.” Saassraa set about making camp for the evening amongst the city’s outer ruined wall with Ramilla the Sphinx for company. The brass dragon landed not far and kept a guarded eye on the two. When she was ready Saassraa told her story, from when she was young and realized she was unlike the other kobolds in her nest, to when she ventured out into the world above her home tunnels. She spoke of her eventual meeting with the great wizard Lord Nardhon Tatherphen that lead to her mission to become a true dragon and her recent adventures against the avatars of the four horsemen of apocalypse. Through the night she spoke and in the early hours she finally ended her tale, Ramilla thanked her and suggested they get some rest before discussing her entry into the city. Several hours later and the sun was well up in the sky, Saassraa stood up from her camp bed and noticed that Ramilla and the brass dragon were nowhere to be seen. With nothing else to do, she packed her things up and prepared to enter the city. As the last of her belongings were packed away, the sphinx and the brass dragon appeared in the sky. Ramilla landed next to the kobold but the dragon stayed aloft, circling the area. “Good day Saassraa Wyrmbreath, I trust you slept well?” “Yes” replied Saassraa “Thankyou. Have you decided if I may enter the city and follow my guide” Saassraa asked as she carefully watched the Sphinx. Ramilla half smiled “Indeed you may have that chance but I feel that in return for your story I have one to tell of this city and a riddle. If you are patient and show wit then you may pass.” Saassraa was unsure and looked up at the brass dragon, it did not seem hurried and continued to lazily circle above. Looking back at Ramilla, she sat down and made herself comfortable before saying “At your will my friend.” The sphinx also sat down and began to recount the story of the ruins that lay about them. “Once, many thousands of years ago, a powerful race of giants called Cyclops ruled vast kingdoms across the old lands. It is said that their civilization was birthed within the walls of this very city. Great oracles and seers they were, with beings from beyond the oceans frequently coming to hear their sage-like wisdom. For you must know they had the power to see into the future and knew all that was to be and shall pass. So great was their wisdom that even beings from the highest order of the mortal world were known to seek them out for advice. It so happened, according to legend, that an ancient and powerful Gold Dragon named Daasskaurix came to hear of these people and sought to share her knowledge with them. The Cyclops people at this time had long believed themselves no longer beholden to fate, the ruling tyrant Armotuk called his people gods in heresy to the divine powers. When they encountered Daasskaurix, they saw omens of their destruction yet did not heed their visions. Instead of greeting her with honour, she was captured and tortured for her knowledge and power. In their overconfidence and vanity they thought to build a great temple in their name, to symbolize their dominance over the greatest of mortal creatures and anoint it in the blood of the gold dragon. Far away in the great beyond amongst the stars, the great dragon god Apsu, father of Daasskaurix sat upon his throne. When he heard of this outrage Apsu pronounced a curse upon the Cyclops people; for their kingdoms to fall and they to become like beasts, and shall have only a fraction of their supernatural divination to remember what they have lost. However the Cyclops people were blinded by their hubris and did not make amends for their crimes. Soon their fields began to shrivel up and the lakes and rivers ran dry. The suns heat became unbearable and turned the once rich land into a dried up desert. The Cyclops people fell into war against each other for food and water, refusing to see they were the cause of their woes. In time the great kingdoms fell one by one and the mighty Cyclops people degenerated into a brutish shadow of their former glory. Now all that remains are the ruins of ancient cities and small tribes of Cyclops who plunder from their neighbours, be it Cyclops or man. It is said that even today the children of Apsu detest all Cyclops and weep for the loss of Daasskaurix. I have witnessed many dragons come to pay homage to her at the temple once used as her sacrificial alter.” A deep sadness filled the sorceress as she felt millennia of grief for the ancient dragon and the Cyclops people whose greatest power had been their undoing. It was a few moments before Saassraa realized that the sphinx had stopped talking, shaking herself from her reverie the kobold could see that the sun had past its peak by almost an hour. “You have honoured me with your story Ramilla” spoke Saassraa, in fact she was overwhelmed. A piece of draconic lore and part of her heritage had been handed to her, this was no coincidence. The kobold sorceress knew that this city held the knowledge that would one day change her to her true form of a dragon. “You have shown great patience kobold, now we shall test your wit. If you can discern the answer to my riddle, I will allow you to pass into the city. However, if you fail…your blood will be mine.” As the sphinx finished speaking, Saassraas heart skipped a beat. Had she heard right, ‘by Apsu’ she silently prayed, what had she gotten herself into. Seconds passed and the Kobold sorceress opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted when Ramilla cleared her throat and spoke: "First I am Aleria, Second I am Chiuta, Third I am Itheria, Fourth I am Paletius, Fifth I am Linium, Sixth I am Ferrakus, Seventh I am Shankhil and Eighth I am Myketa. Who am I?" Saassraa spoke out finally, trying to determine any hint or clue as to how she should proceed; the sphinx remained silent. Wracking her mind she searched for anything in her memory that could help her now. Suddenly her mind flooded with the answer. The names spoken were alternate names of the gods and often used in relation to the phases of the moon. She was certain that the answer was the moon, however she felt it may not be that easy. Thinking carefully she tried to remember the god associated to the moon. Saassraa felt fear creep into her mind, try as she might she could not remember the gods name. Religion had never been her strength, and only an area of study she recently began in regards to the horsemen of apocalypse and their goals. Preparing for the worst, Saassaraa spoke out "I am the moon". Ramilla stared impassively at the kobold, not even an eye twitch to reveal if her answer was right or wrong. Carefully she began to move towards the front gate, a low threatening growl came from the sphinx and Saassraa saw Ramilla crouch and readied to pounce. Stopping, she looked at her former camp mate and waited. The sphinx sat for a few minutes before speaking "You have come thus far and I am feeling generous because your tale intrigues me. Your answer came close but I sought, as I believe you know, the god whose name is used for the moon. I will give you one last chance and if you fail, your death will be swift." With that she delivered her second riddle: "Mortar and blood, brick and bone, sacred claw. Fire and prayer, strength and sacrifice, augured wing. I was built in spite, now a shrine for the honoured dead." Ramilla finished speaking and sat silently, waiting for Saassraas answer. She did not have to wait long; the kobold sorceress quickly determined from the specific words given 'blood, bone, claw, fire, strength and wing' that it was a reference to a dragon. The other words 'mortor, brick, sacred, prayer, sacrifice and augured suggested a temple. This was borne out from the second part of the riddle which had 'shrine and honoured'. Further her mind raced and connected the riddle to Ramillas story of the Cylcops and Daasskaurix. The story mentioned also that many dragons came here to pay homage to the fallen daughter of Apsu, it was clear in Saassraas mind what the answer was. Using the tongue of the dragon the kobold spoke "The temple of Daasskaurix". The sphinx narrowed her eyes briefly and then flickered a smile. "You have bested my riddles Saassraa Wyrmbreath. I give you leave to enter the city, may Apsu smile upon you." With that the sphinx stretched her wings and leapt into the air, flying up and up above the city, she circled once and then flew amongst the ruins and was gone. Saassraa waited a few minutes, looked about to see her bronze dragon guide still circling above and finally took her first step into the ruined Cyclopean city. A soft breeze stirred up dust and light debris as she wandered through the ancient streets, otherwise nothing else seemed to stir. Still a couple miles ahead was the Temple of Daasskaurix rising high above the city. Atop it she could see the colossal remains of the daughter of Apsu, forever enshrined in the monolithic building. Cautiously she picked her way across the city as she followed the bronze dragon and headed for the holy site. Half and hour later she arrived at the foot of the immense temple, giant steps led up to the summit. Saassraa searched about for anything to help her climb; at just over two feet tall she was going to find getting to the top hard going without assistance. Whilst she pondered this she heard the bronze dragon whisper in her hear, via a spell she had realised recently, "You are dragon, fly up." The kobold was confused, yes she was a dragon in her own eyes, but she knew that her small vestigial wings were only good for gliding. She could not fathom the strange statement and continued to look around for something to climb with or another way to get up to the top. The sun was beginning to dip into the horizon when she found an old hook and some rope. Combining the items she attempted to grapple a spot thirty feet higher up on the steps. She hit her target and heard the hook clatter on the stone step, breaking the oppressive silence of the abandoned ruins. Pulling on the rope carefully, the hook scraped across the ground and the kobold sorceress hoped it would catch onto something. Unfortunately it didn't and the hook clattered down a step. Now the hook was one step higher than her, but she again pulled carefully on the rope in hopes it would catch something there. She felt it snag onto something and testing it felt she had a good grapple. The climb was slow going and by the time the sun had set she had only made three steps up, there were perhaps a hundred steps in total she needed to climb. Finding a large crack in the stone work she climbed in and waited out the night. Drifting off to sleep she wondered what was in store for tomorrow, as she was certain to reach the summit before next sundown. The next day she made good progress climbing up the steps, with each throw of the grapple hook she refined her technique to be more efficient. At the midway mark the wind was very strong and Saassraa found that she could use her wings with the hooked rope to make her a kite. This allowed her to move even quicker up the side of the temple. Finally she was only a few steps off reaching the apex and as she had been doing before she cast the hooked rope, tested it to make sure it was snagged properly and then opened her wings to catch the wind and 'fly' off the side of the building. Manoeuvring her wings she attempted, as she had done so for half the day to glide up and then down onto the next step when the unexpected happened. A sharp gust of wind assailed her and ripped her off the side of the structure. As quickly has it blasted her the wind ceased and she felt herself falling. Instinctively she tried to counter her fall by extending her wings, only to discover the rope had become tangled up with them. This was it she panicked, this was how she would die were the first thoughts that flashed in her mind. Then another stronger thought focused her, an image of a great wyrm gold dragon and the words 'fly'. Realisation hit her as she knew that the dragon was Daaskaurix but also herself at the same time and in that moment a spell for flying became known to her. All this took place with a mere few seconds, but to Saassraa it had felt like hours, in her mind she saw the words and hand gestures became clear and she used them now. A feeling of near weightlessness overcame her and she felt herself floating in the air. Warily she tested her new found ability, and found that her skill in gliding had trained her well; picking up easily what she needed to do. The kobold had an innate sense that the spell would last almost an hour and a half and she could move twice her normal speed. She sorely wished to practice and enjoy this new spell but she knew that it could wait a while longer. Instead she flew straight to the top of the temple, where she came face to face with desiccated and petrified remains of Daasskaurix. The sorceress knew little about construction, but it was clear that the dragons remains had been fused with the temple at some time. Saassraa found it difficult to see where the building ended and the dragon began. The beating of leathery wings turned attention to the sky and looking about saw the human sized bronze dragon land a few feet from her. It opened its mouth and spoke the first words she had heard directly from it "Sleep", a puzzled look came across her face and then the world became fuzzy and she fell unconscious. When she awoke Saassraa remembered strange dreams where she had battled the brass dragon, as a test. She had then spoken with Apsu himself and he had taught her the first step of becoming a Dragon Disciple. Standing up groggily she noticed that she was back in the city of Grey, all her possessions lay next to her and a small golden amulet of a dragons foot hung from her neck. Reaching her hand up she caressed it and memories flooded her minds eye. After she had been put to sleep by the brass dragon she had felt herself moving as if carried, even in her unconscious state she was aware it was cooler and darker. Later a nudging woke her with a start and the young brass dragon stood next to her, looking about she was deep inside what she presumed was the temple. Strange Cyclopean architecture surrounded her in a giant hall with great pillars holding the ceiling up. littering the floor were the skeletal remains of hundreds of large humaoinds, most likely cyclops. As the sleep spells effect wore off the dragon spoke to her again "It is time Wyrmbreath, if you are ready." Saassraa looked at the dragon and was about to open her mouth when it spoke quickly "defend yourself!" and leapt at her with teeth bared. The sorceress reacted faster than expected, ducking backwards a few feet she was able to cast a spell of magical armour. However she had forgotten to take into account the dragons long neck and muzzle; the creature snapped at her with its powerful jaws but her magical protection and nimbleness allowed her to avoid damage. Frustrated, the Brass dragon opened its mouth and flame shot out at her. Attempting to roll out of the way she stumbled on some bones and was caught in the blast of fire. As the flames torched her, she could sense that the fire was dampened significantly by her rod of fire. Capable of summoning a fire elemental to do her bidding it also constantly gave her some protection against fire. With that however she knew that it would not take much for it to kill her quickly. The dragon seemed surprised that she was not as harmed as the intense flames would have suggested. Still standing a few feet away from the dragon, Saassraa assessed the situation. Most dragons were aligned with a particular element and Brass dragons were associated with fire. She knew then that her predominantly fire based spells would have no affect on it. Dragons also had to wait a few seconds to recharge their breath weapons and would rely on their other spell-like abilities and brute force in-between. Quickly she decided on casting a shield spell which would add another level of protection against the dragon and waited to see what it would do. The brass dragon stepped in and unleashed a flurry of tooth, claw and wing attacks upon her. Fortunately for Saassraa her magical protection, agility and naturally scaled skin afforded her complete safety from its attacks. Again the dragon seemed surprised at how ineffectual its attacks had been so far, Saassraa took advantage of the opportunity. Retrieving from her spell pouch a miniature shovel, combined with arcane words and gestures a pit opened up beneath the dragon. She knew that the creature would be able to fly out of it but it had been standing with wings folded and hoped that the spell would take it off guard. She was in luck and the creatures face had a look off shock as the ground sunk away and it fell. The pit created was not deep, perhaps only thirty feet but it would do some damage. The kobold sorceress took the moment to move away from the pit several feet to put some distance between the two. With a roar the dragon flew up and out of the pit, seeking her out it opened its mouth and another blast of fire shot out at her. As before the flame washed over her and the rod of fire afforded her some protection, she could sense though that she already midway through the fight with only one or two more significant hits would likely kill her. Flying towards her, the dragon landed a few feet away and instead of making an attempt to attack her it spoke. "Well fought little one. I think you have proven yourself worthy of Aspus presence, don't you?" With that the hall was filled with an incredible light and a colossal form materialised into view. He was everything Saassraa Wyrmbreath had thought he would be and more, a most majestic looking dragon with scintillating scales of gold, brass, copper, bronze and silver. She could feel more than hear his voice vibrate through the chamber and into her soul; the secrets of draconic lore were laid out before her and she felt awareness of a new path. Time became irrelevant as he taught her arcane truths. When finally it was over he breathed upon her and vanished, but she knew that she had become a dragon disciple; the first in over a thousand years. The brass dragon dropped at her feet a small golden amulet of a dragons foot. "Take it" the dragon spoke and she bent to pick it up, as she touched it thought everything suddenly faded to black before awakening in Grey. Holding the amulet tightly she made a silent prayer of thanks to Apsu, then placed it around her neck. From what she could determine only a few weeks perhaps had past since she left and reconstruction of the city was slowly progressing. In the distance she saw a tall familiar friend approach, a goliath by the name of Exeeds-Himself. He had returned to his mountain home during the demon siege to help his people, and it would seem he had survived well. With a renewed vigor she approached him to find out what drew him back to Grey...but thats another story. Category:Stories from Erthoria